1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a novel single-position signal device which is adapted to be attached to a primary object such as an office file, an item of manufacture, a pill bottle, or like items. It may be used to indicate the status of an office file, open or closed; the status of a manufactured item, complete or incomplete; or attached to a pill bottle to indicate the number of pills taken within a given period of time. It can be used to indicate the status of many different items by such words as yes/no, opened/closed, in/out, on/off, stop/go, and for sale/sold. As it may be seen, there are an infinite number of signaling uses for the present invention. In addition to words; letters, numbers, symbols or color codes such as red/green can also be used to indicate status change.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
There are many kinds of signals that may be used on the records in a business office. For example, there are colored tags that may be adhered to the margins of office files to indicate the category of each file. Also, there are colored metal flags, which can be clipped onto file cards, for indicating the status or category of the information on each card. These prior signal devices must constantly be moved or replaced and/or changed to keep them up to date. For example, if a response is due, a red label or flag may be attached. If the response has been sent, the label or flag may have to be changed to or replaced by a different green label or flag. Similarly, a green label or flag may indicate that an item is "for sale" or "inventoried" and must be changed to or replaced by a red label or flag to indicate that the item has been sold or has not been inventoried. Such changes and/or replacements are done manually and can be very tedious and time consuming.
There are also large signs, such as are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,653,325 to E. Watts; 2,501,044 to S. J. Gianelloni, Jr.; 4,318,238 to A. J. Macarle, Jr.; and 4,597,209 to M. E. Hukill, which are signal devices used to indicate the status or category of a situation. Such signs may have two or more positions to indicate different information to a viewer. These signs may be mounted on a building, or on a heavy standard for placing in a roadway. Such signs are heavy and bulky and completely impractical for use in a home or business office environment, especially with respect to office records and the like.
The two-position signal device described in my patent application, Ser. No. 165,976 filed Mar. 9, 1988, avoids the foregoing undesirable characteristics by providing a convenient, low-cost device for reminding one of the status of a primary object. That prior device can be easily attached to the primary object and can be changed with the flip of a finger without removing the device from the object. That prior two-position device is small, light in weight, low in cost, convenient to use, and can be made entirely of a synthetic plastic material. Nevertheless, it is desirable to provide alternative devices which have the foregoing characteristics, but which are different in design and may be better adapted to some specific uses than the two-position device.